conversations with Rooney // 17
Rooney turns 9½ tomorrow and I 100% can’t handle it. She is at that adorable age when she seems so grown up most of the time, but occasionally she will say something that makes you remember she is not a tiny adult — she really is still just a little kid trying to understand the world. Her humor is a lot different than Finch’s, but she still makes us laugh a ton. I think of her as a closet comedian and I am always thankful when she lets us in to her wonderful little brain. FYI for context, this is a compilation of quotes and conversations I’ve jotted down for the past two years (ages 7-9). They’re not all meant to be funny, but a good picture of what she’s like to live with. My sweet, lovely, curious, funny Rooney Jane.
“I’m not trying to be mean about [dad], but a lot of times he’s wrong.”
“Don’t you think I’m a little old to wear Frozen clothes?”
Rooney: “Dad!”
Eric: “What?”
Rooney: “We’re going to watch America’s Got Talent, is it OK if we watch without you?”
Eric: “Sure.”
Rooney: “He said sure! That means ‘yes’ in Spanish!”
Rooney: “How old is Taylor Swift?”
Me: “I think she’s 30.”
Rooney: “Oh, so she’s not close to dying.”
Dancing by herself, then gets to the end for a dip: “Need a man here!”
“Look at this seashell my friend gave me! I don’t remember if she said it’s from California or South Dakota.”
Rooney: “Did you know there’s an animal called antelope? Is that where we get it from when we eat it?”
Me: “I think you mean cantaloupe.”
Rooney: “What do they get if they win the Super Bowl?”
Me: “They get to go to Disney World.”
Rooney: “Mom! Sign me up for football!”
Eric: “What do you think of this picture of me without a beard?”
Rooney: “Looks like mommy’s boyfriend.”
“I only have one thing on my bucket list: Have fun!”
After watching a movie without me and I told her she needed parental guidance: “Sorry, I thought PG meant Perfectly Good.”
After climbing to the top of the playground: “Mom, take my picture. It will look great on my college application.”
“I can do the splits way better in snow pants.”
While watching soccer: “Somebody got the top hat for scoring three goals. Or maybe the turkey. I don’t know what it’s called.” (hat trick)
“Mom, I need to tell you something. I have terrible news. We didn’t have math today!“
“It’s easy to convince dad, and it’s hard to convince mom.”
While eating at IKEA: “Rate them 5 stars.”
Me: “What’s one thing you want to do today?”
Rooney: “Get a dog.”
“I’m 9 and I already know where I’m going to college. I should probably start writing my college application.”
Rooney: “Who built the Great Wall of China?”
Me: “I don’t know, maybe we should research it.”
Rooney: “You don’t know? I do! Wasn’t it Donald Trump or something?”
“Is this glue edible?”
”I feel like I’m gonna really like homework.”
Watching TV: “Every ad is about a mattress! And they all say the same thing, and it’s not true!”
“Everyone’s life changes when they become a parent.”
Me: “Why did you clean the toilet the other day?”
Rooney: “I wanted to; it was dirty. I cleaned yours, too.” (she’s a dream)
“Do you want to die in that cemetery?” (be buried in that cemetery)
“What if we died on the same day at the time? That could work!”